Gold bar man injured in mobile home fire; found inside structure

Victim airlifted to Harborview Medical Center

Photos courtesy of Gold Bar Fire: Fire District 26 and several other county fire stations responded to a residential fire on Goldbar Boulevard on Tuesday, April 4. One occupant was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center for burns to his face and torso.

A Gold Bar man in his 50s suffered burns to his face and torso after his double-wide mobile home caught fire Tuesday, April 4.

Fire District 26 crews responded just before 1 p.m. to the residence on Goldbar Boulevard. They found the man still inside, but near the front entrance, said Fire District 7 public information officer Heather Chadwick. After assessing the severity of the situation, crews were able to rescue him from the home, she said.

“Of course life safety is the number-one priority, but they also have to think of the life safety of the firefighters as well,” Chadwick said.

The first responders will check for heat and fire levels before entering a fully involved structure, and in this case it was a “grab-and-go” rescue, Chadwick said. Shortly after arrival, firefighters upgraded the call to a two-alarm fire, requesting additional resources.

Firefighters from District 5 and 7 responded, plus a medical unit, Chadwick said.

Fire District 26 Fire Chief Eric Andrews said a man was able to carry the resident partially out of the mobile home before firefighters arrived. The injured man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, she said.

Snohomish County Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Lorentzen said the cause of the fire is undetermined at this point. He said it seemed crews were able to put out the flames rather quickly.

The mobile home mostly suffered from smoke damage, and some fire damage was contained to the bedroom, Lorentzen said. The initial estimate was about $28,000 in damages to the structure and property loss, he said.

The investigation may take a few weeks. Lorentzen said he is still waiting to interview the injured man.

Chadwick said she could not release any more information regarding the identity of the man.